Cleyra
Cleyra is a settlement on the Mist Continent in Final Fantasy IX. It is constantly surrounded by a sandstorm, concealing the Cleyran people and protecting them from harm. The sandstorm is powered by one of the four Summoning Jewels. The Cleyran people were originally Burmecians, but, following a disagreement over the Burmecians' taste for war, the Cleyrans distanced themselves from Burmecia. Storyline Zidane Tribal and his party make their way to Cleyra in order to protect it from the greedy Queen Brahne and her Alexandrian Army. They had just destroyed Burmecia, and many Burmecians made their way to Cleyra as refugees, including the King of Burmecia himself. The Ritual Dance The Ritual Dance is performed at the Cathedral in order to pray for the strengthening of the sandstorm that surrounds Cleyra and protects it from outside intrusion. Five female dancers perform it while a sixth plays the harp that contains a sacred jewel. Unbeknownst to the Cleyrans, this is a summoning jewel. During the dance Freya performs in, the harp shatters, dissolving the sandstorm, revealing Cleyra, and allowing the Alexandrian forces to besiege the great tree. After the harp's strings shatter, the High Priest of Cleyra's cathedral gives Freya the Emerald from atop the harp. Siege of Cleyra With Cleyra's protection gone, Beatrix leads her forces into the city, prompting the player party to attempt to defend it. After guiding the surviving Cleyran citizens to the cathedral, the party is ambushed by a horde of black mages and readies for a fight to the death. They are saved by the timely arrival of Sir Fratley, only to face Beatrix herself. The party ultimately falls to the Alexandrian general again, and Beatrix takes the jewel atop the sacred harp before teleporting out with her Black Mages. Zidane, Vivi and Freya follow and end up on the Red Rose just as Queen Brahne uses Dark Matter to summon Odin. The sky turns black as the Eidolon parts the clouds, and with a single spear obliterates Cleyra, leaving nothing save a colossal mushroom cloud. Quina leaves the party for the time being, and Sir Fratley is not seen until the end sequence. The surviving Burmecians and Cleyrans are scattered across Gaia. Cleyra's Trunk The road to Cleyra is a long maze within the giant tree filled with sand pits and monsters. Whether it was fashioned this way naturally or caused by the Cleyrans is unclear. The journey up the trunk contains several switches that alter the flow of sand within the tree, and thus may open up new passages and treasures. Enemies *Carrion Worm *Crawler *Dragonfly *Sand Golem/Core *Sand Scorpion *Zuu The Sand Scorpion appears as a forced battle whenever Zidane fails to escape the sand pits in time. Cleyra Settlement Cleyra itself is a small settlement atop the tree. It is divided into several, smaller zones. The Cathedral is the place of worship where the Cleyrans pray to the sandstorm and perform their ritual dances of strengthening. The Market is a small gathering place. The Inn is located here. The Observation Post is a small platform built over a protuding branch of the giant tree. The Windmill uses the power of the sandstorm to draw water all the way up to the top of the tree. The Antlion's pit is located beside the entrance. It is the home of a tame Antlion. It also directly connects with the passages that lead up to the settlement. Shops Soldier Dan's Shop Nina's Medicene Shop Enemies *Type B *Soldier *Beatrix Category:Final Fantasy IX locations